


The Living Room

by domini_porter



Series: Scenes from Domestic Life [3]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 17:52:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15756759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/domini_porter/pseuds/domini_porter





	The Living Room

"What are you doing?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you  _doing_?"

Maura didn't look up. "Thinking, Jane."

"Could you please think faster, because I've had this planned out for like ten minutes and I'd really just like to do it."

"Jane." Maura sighed and glanced upward, her brow still slightly furrowed with concentration. "This is an art, it requires more than knowledge of the principles, it requires careful consideration and attention to detail. There are countless possibilities and nearly infinite configurations to be taken into account."

"You don't have to go through all of them, Maura, you just have to pick one. Like-" she reached over, about to touch—

"How dare you!" Maura gasped, smacking Jane's hand away. "That's so rude!"

"Rude is the nicest thing I can be right now, come  _on_ , Maura!"

Maura sighed again, drifting her fingers slowly across the pieces arrayed on the board. She hesitated at the queen's pawn and Jane leaned forward in anticipation, ready to pounce, before Maura lifted her forefinger again.

"You're killing me," Jane groaned, slumping back in her seat. Maura smirked.

"The psychological game is often considered to be a superior offense to any gambit," she said archly, selecting a bishop and capturing one of Jane's pawns. "Button."

It was Jane's turn to sigh as she quickly yanked at her shirt, loosing the top button. "Fine. Whatever." She rolled her eyes at Maura who blinked innocently.

"Aren't you going to make your move?"

Jane narrowed her eyes and moved her fingers from piece to piece, not breaking eye contact with Maura. "See? You see how annoying this is?"

"If you were actually contemplating your next play I would respect your process," Maura said, "but since you're doing it specifically to annoy me then yes, I suppose it's annoying."

"God," Jane huffed. "You're impossible."

Maura only smiled her most dazzling smile, which made Jane nearly knock over a knight.

"You know what happens if you drop one, Jane," Maura reminded her.

"I know," she muttered, moving the knight to capture Maura's bishop. "Button."

"This dress doesn't have buttons."

"Maura, how are we supposed to play it right when you're not wearing anything with buttons?"

"I assume you've come up with a contingency, or you wouldn't have agreed to the game in the first place."

"All right, then," Jane eyed Maura, letting her gaze drift up and down her body. "Take your hair down, I guess."

Maura reached up with both hands and carefully drew a thin, elaborately carved ebony stick from her hair. The thick golden coil landed on her shoulder, curling slightly around her throat. Jane couldn't help but stare as Maura placed the stick in her mouth and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it out. She gave her head a toss, and then slowly pulled the stick from between her lips.

It took Jane half a beat to realize her own mouth had fallen open slightly.

"Fair trade?" Maura murmured, twisting a lock of hair around her finger.

"Uh-" Jane swallowed hard. "Yeah, it was okay. I guess. I mean, for a bishop."

"Bishops aren't worth more than pawns, Jane."

"They should be," Jane said, trying to refocus on the game.

"You made the rules," Maura replied, her voice tinted with something slightly more than sportsmanship.

"Yeah I did, didn't I?"

"But the game has already started, and it would be unfair to change them now."

"You must have been so fun at parties," Jane said, still a little thrown by the way Maura's hair was spilling around her collarbones.

"If it's any consolation," Maura said, looking back down at the board to contemplate her next move, "I always made sure everyone spent exactly seven minutes in heaven."

"To the second, I'll bet."

"Don't you ever find it more fun to adapt to rules? To force yourself to get more creative when faced with constraints?"

"The only thing rules are good for," Jane said, "is breaking."

"I disagree."

"Yeah, well, you would."

Maura looked up at her, affronted. She scowled slightly and slid her queen across the board, capturing Jane's castle.

"That's . . . um . . . four, then," she said, after scrutinizing Jane's attire for a moment.

"What? Castles aren't worth more!"

"You think I can't break rules, so why not start with yours?"

Jane tried for a moment to think of a response, but the way Maura was staring at her, hazel eyes deceptively placid, the edge of her lower lip caught in her teeth, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth, made Jane unable to find a reason to challenge her.

"Just you wait, Doctor," Jane muttered as she undid the remaining buttons on her shirt, fully exposing the white tank top beneath.

"You're opting to leave it on, then?" Maura asked, with the faintest edge of disappointment.

"Uh, yeah, because otherwise we'll never finish. The game," she added hastily, when she saw Maura was about to speak again. Maura shrugged.

"It  _is_  important to see things through to the end, I suppose," she said. "Your move."

"I know it's my move, jeez." Jane flexed her fingers over her half of the board, as though willing the correct piece to move of its own volition. When nothing happened, she picked up a pawn and set it down a space ahead.

"That was anticlimactic," Maura said, twisting her hair around her finger again.

"Don't—God, don't  _do_  that," Jane finally cried.

"Do what?" Maura said, feigning surprise. "I'm not doing anything."

"You are too! You're . . . twirling your hair around."

"So? You do it all the time."

"Yeah, and  _you_  accuse me of sexual frustration."

"I don't  _accuse_  you, Jane," Maura sighed. "I merely point out that those behaviors can be  _indicative-_ "

"Oh,  _indicative,_ " Jane mimicked Maura's tone. "And what does it indicate for  _you_ , then?"

Maura looked up and away, biting the tip of her thumb as though deep in thought.

"For Christ's sake, Maura," Jane nearly shouted.

"You're awfully aggressive," Maura said. "I don't know if I should be playing games with you if this is how you're going to get."

"Well if you'd just play the damn game-"

"But I am," Maura replied. "This is how I do it." She grinned sweetly at Jane, fingers still teasing her lip.

"Psychological, huh," Jane muttered.

"Mm-hmm," Maura murmured. "When applied properly it can be exceptionally effective."

Jane settled back in her seat, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Uh-huh. Okay. I get it. I understand what it is you're doing here."

"It doesn't take a genius, Jane."

"Yeah, well, make your move, genius."

Maura let the hair slide from her finger, but didn't move her other hand from her mouth. To Jane's dismay, she slipped her index finger slightly past her lips, her cheeks hollowing as she gently sucked on it.

"Oh God, Maura," she groaned before she could stop herself. Maura glanced up at her, not moving anything but her eyes, which sparkled with mirth. As she quickly moved a pawn to capture the one Jane had just ineffectually placed she winked, making Jane start.

"Take it off, Jane," she murmured.

"Yeah," Jane whispered, "seems fair." She slipped her open shirt off, dropping it on the floor.

"Oh, it'll get wrinkled," Maura said, dismayed.

"Is that really what you're thinking right now?  _Really_?"

"Concern for your possessions is not an overriding thought," Maura said, straightening up and taking a long moment to appreciate Jane's bare arms and close-fitting undershirt. "I assure you I'm capable of thinking about more than one thing at a time. Well, not exactly, neurologically speaking, but the firing of neurons happens so rapidly that-"

"Oh my God, I get it," Jane cried, abruptly capturing Maura's other bishop with her remaining castle. "Bishops are worth more now," she said, "because I make the rules."

"What do you want me to do, Jane?" Maura's voice was deliberately silky. Her psychological game was certainly on point; Jane had to admit that much.

"No buttons," Jane said. "Your hair is down. You're not wearing shoes. You're really not dressed for strip chess, Dr. Isles."

"Hmm," Maura said, feigning concern. "I suppose I was hoping to play better."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kicking your ass."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm still fully clothed."

"And that's a problem for me," Jane said, finally allowing an edge of lust to creep into her voice. "Speaking as a high-school district chess champion, of course."

"I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, well, we got creamed at regionals."

Maura smiled. "Unzip me," she said, twisting in her seat to allow Jane better access.

"But then what will you take off when I actually start trying?"

Maura wrinkled her nose, amused. "Very funny, Jane," she said. "Just unzip me. I'm not taking it off."

"Yet," Jane said, grinning crookedly. She stood and crossed behind Maura, positioning herself so close she thought she could feel Maura's pulse quicken. She could see it quicken at her throat as she carefully gathered Maura's hair and pulled it away from the zipper, taking a moment to let her fingertips just barely skim the soft skin of Maura's neck. Jane smiled with satisfaction when Maura gasped faintly at the contact.

"You're not the only one with a good psychological game," Jane whispered as she slowly pulled down the zipper of Maura's dress, holding it with two fingers and allowing her thumb to graze each millimeter of skin as it was exposed. Maura shivered, a soft sound catching in her throat. Jane's grin widened as she reached the end of the zipper and, instead of sitting back down to allow Maura her move, slid her hands inside Maura's dress, around her ribs and down her waist, relishing the soft heat of her body.

"This doesn't seem quite fair," Maura breathed, "even with the new rules."

"Yeah, well," Jane replied, her voice low, "you know how I feel about rules."

"I'm beginning to fully under—oh!" she exclaimed as Jane pressed her lips to Maura's neck.

"Your move," Jane whispered, pulling away from her and returning to her seat. She tried to be as nonchalant as possible but touching Maura's skin, feeling how warm she was, breathing in the scent of her hair, made Jane a little dizzy.

Maura exhaled slowly, her eyes closed. After a moment she looked up at Jane, cocking one eyebrow and sliding her queen over to capture an errant pawn.

"Check," she whispered.

Jane smiled. "What do you think that's worth?"

"I don't make the rules, I just abide by them."

"Yeah, until you break them."

"Jane!" Maura frowned. "I only did it because you were teasing me."

"Peer pressure's a hell of a thing," Jane replied.

Maura said nothing, turning her eyes back to the board.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Aren't you going to . . . you know, make a decision?"

Maura shrugged. "Your move."

"Now I'm worried."

Maura said nothing, but raised one eyebrow.

Jane narrowed her eyes again, and captured Maura's queen. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she took the piece, recognizing that the game was either drawing to a close with Maura's queen being out of play, or would drag on interminably as Maura was a strong enough player to make a fair showing without her most versatile piece. The psychological game indicated the former, since Maura was a strong enough player not to sacrifice her queen without expectations of eventual benefit. Jane swallowed hard again.

"Your move," she said, a little hoarsely.

"Aren't you going to make a decision?" Maura teased, though her voice was lush with promise.

"Your move," Jane said again. Maura smiled brilliantly. She put her finger on a knight, rocking it back and forth, not shifting her gaze from Jane's face.

"You know, chess has a fascinating history-" she began.

"I  _do_  know," Jane interrupted. "I  _also_  know our definitions of 'fascinating' are very different."

Maura's smile shifted from brilliance to mischief as she carefully, slowly, with aching deliberation, pushed her knight onto its side. "Oops," she breathed.

"That's a forfeit, Dr. Isles," Jane choked out, her pulse suddenly racing, her breathing suddenly shallow. "Rules are rules."

"Rules are rules," Maura murmured, rising from her chair and crossing to Jane. She stood next to her, holding out her hand.

"Uh-"

"My queen, please," Maura said politely.

Jane didn't know how to respond, so mutely handed Maura the piece.

"The queen is the most powerful player on the board," Maura murmured, turning it over in her hand. "She can move in any direction, as many spaces as she likes-"

"High-school chess champion, Maura," Jane reminded her.

"I'm making a point here, Jane, if you'd let me," Maura said, a touch exasperated.

"Yeah, of course, sorry."

"What I mean is the queen can do anything she wants. But sometimes-" Maura's gaze swept over Jane's body, her eyes heavy-lidded and turning dark. She shrugged her shoulders, allowing her dress to slip down her arms as she straddled Jane's lap, one hand reaching out to steady herself on Jane's shoulder, the other still toying with the queen.

"Sometimes," Jane mumbled.

"Sometimes, the queen has to sacrifice herself in order to achieve a greater victory." Maura reached out and gently touched the piece to Jane's lips, tracing it down her chin, her neck, playing at the edge of her undershirt. Jane shifted under her, the sensation of Maura sitting in her lap, Maura's hand sliding down her arm, back up her waist, over her breasts, Maura's hand finding a resting place at the back of her neck, was making her desperate to move, to touch her back.

"And what kind of victory did you have in mind?"

Maura didn't say anything; she pushed her body forward, pressing close to Jane, brought her mouth down to Jane's mouth, her tongue flicking past Jane's lips, making Jane wriggle and shift and moan slightly, Jane's hands automatically pressing against Maura's back, sliding under the fabric of her unzipped dress, wanting so badly to feel every inch of Maura's skin.

The queen clattered to the floor as Maura brought both her hands up to cup Jane's face, her kiss deepening, her hips pushing against Jane's, Jane tugging at the dress caught at Maura's elbows.

"Babe," Jane breathed, "I'm okay with accepting a forfeit, it doesn't offend my pride or anything, but if that's what's happening I really need to be able to get this dress off you right now."

"To the victor," Maura said.

"Uh-huh, yeah," Jane replied, pulling at Maura's dress from the hem, delighting in the way Maura arched into the motion, allowing Jane to slide the garment over her head. "It's gonna wrinkle," she said lightly.

"I'll have it cleaned," Maura mumbled absently, not wanting to break the kiss.

"Oh, so now it's okay to drop things on the floor?"

"Jane," Maura breathed against Jane's lips, "we are about to have sex. Focus."

Jane tried to signal her assent without moving her mouth from Maura's, running her hands over Maura's newly-bare skin, delighting in the pressure of Maura's body against hers.

She soon realized that while Maura straddling her, nearly naked, was a position she didn't mind being in at all, it was less than ideal for the things she wanted to do. Jane slipped her hands down, holding Maura tightly against herself as she stood up. Maura's legs locked around Jane's waist, still not breaking her kiss, Maura's tongue flirting with Jane's, her hair spilling around Jane's face, Maura's soft whimpers making goosebumps ripple along Jane's skin.

Jane turned around, Maura still clinging to her, still kissing her. Carefully she bent down and laid Maura on the couch, mouth pressed to Maura's as long as possible before she stood back up and took a moment to appreciate the sight of her, all amber-colored hair, smooth pale skin, the way her body was working slightly against the cushions as though if she were to stop moving even for a moment she'd burst into flames.

"God you're beautiful," Jane said, a little sheepishly.

Maura didn't reply, at least not with words. She reached up and hooked her finger around one of Jane's belt loops, pulling Jane to her knees. With her other hand she caught Jane's hand, directing it across her body, until Jane got the idea and allowed her fingers to explore Maura on their own.

"Jane," she whispered, her voice brimming with lust and desire and a hundred other things Jane could spend a long time figuring out.

"Yes, Maura," Jane whispered back.

"I take back what I said about not playing with you."

"You're sure I'm not too aggressive?"

Maura grinned wickedly, her eyes at half-mast.

"Sometimes a little aggression is necessary to achieve one's goals," she murmured, reaching down and deftly unbuttoning Jane's trousers with one hand, still shivering every time Jane's fingers found a new place to touch.

"In that case," Jane said, swinging her leg up onto the sofa and lowering her body onto Maura's, "let me tell you about some of my goals."

 


End file.
